There are probably more than a few people who thought this No. 12 1969 hit by the Spiral Starecase was a Chicago song anyway. But it sure is a strange way to advance a long-awaited new album project.

Yes, Chicago is actually, finally, at work on some original material. Not big band rehash, not Yuletide updates. New stuff.

And so they go and release a note-for-note remake of “More Today Than Yesterday” on iTunes.

Sure, Robert Lamm — who has been collaborating with Bobby Woods and Les Deux Love Orchestra for some time, releasing “Aeroplane” and a take on the Bowie-Metheny-Mays tune “This is Not America” — sounds completely in his element. And the orchestra, which previously had a tune featured on the Dreamworks film “Monsters and Aliens,” is a silky smooth delight.

Over a 30-year career, Nick DeRiso has also explored music for USA Today, All About Jazz, Ultimate Classic Rock and a host of others. Honored as columnist of the year five times by the Associated Press, Louisiana Press Association and Louisiana Sports Writers Association, he oversaw a daily section named Top 10 in the nation by the AP before co-founding Something Else! Contact him at nderiso@somethingelsereviews.com.